E-cigarettes may help some smokers quit

Linda Walston, who works at Tobacco Road Outlet, personally uses electronic cigarettes, mostly because their discharge is safe around children and family.

Zach Frailey/The Free Press

By By Junious Smith III, Kinston Free Press

Published: Thursday, July 4, 2013 at 08:05 PM.

KINSTON — In the fight for better health, electronic cigarettes — or “e-cigarettes” — have been looked at as the new alternative method to people who have been trying to quit smoking. The product has been gaining popularity for its ability to emulate the taste and feel of the original cigarette without the harmful chemicals.

E-cigarettes have been sold in tobacco stores, gas stations and retail stores across the nation since 2009. With increased laws on smoking because of the harmful toxins that provide secondhand smoke and the smell of the carcinogens, e-cigarettes can be utilized in order to get the nicotine fix without bothering nonsmokers.

A Herritage Street drug store manager in Kinston said e-cigarettes have been selling very well in the stores.

“A lot of customers have told me they picked them up so they could smoke in bars or restaurants without having to deal with the tobacco smell,” said the woman, who asked her name not be used in this report.

E-cigarettes can be “smoked” just like regular cigarettes, but without the use of lighters or flicking ashes. Instead, the e-cigarette is like an electronic inhaler, releasing a vapor into the air in contrast to the smoke from standard cigarettes.

Some e-cigarettes taste just like original tobacco or menthols, but there are alternative flavors that can be found. Blu — one of the most popular brands of e-cigarettes — gives smokers a variety of flavors such as cherry, vanilla and pina colada, amongst others. Also, people have the option of buying disposables — which can last about as long as a pack of cigarettes — or rechargeable e-cigarettes which can last for months.

When inhaled, a light comes on and the nicotine is released. When the light fades away or won’t come on, the e-cigarette needs to be recharged or discarded.

KINSTON — In the fight for better health, electronic cigarettes — or “e-cigarettes” — have been looked at as the new alternative method to people who have been trying to quit smoking. The product has been gaining popularity for its ability to emulate the taste and feel of the original cigarette without the harmful chemicals.

E-cigarettes have been sold in tobacco stores, gas stations and retail stores across the nation since 2009. With increased laws on smoking because of the harmful toxins that provide secondhand smoke and the smell of the carcinogens, e-cigarettes can be utilized in order to get the nicotine fix without bothering nonsmokers.

A Herritage Street drug store manager in Kinston said e-cigarettes have been selling very well in the stores.

“A lot of customers have told me they picked them up so they could smoke in bars or restaurants without having to deal with the tobacco smell,” said the woman, who asked her name not be used in this report.

E-cigarettes can be “smoked” just like regular cigarettes, but without the use of lighters or flicking ashes. Instead, the e-cigarette is like an electronic inhaler, releasing a vapor into the air in contrast to the smoke from standard cigarettes.

Some e-cigarettes taste just like original tobacco or menthols, but there are alternative flavors that can be found. Blu — one of the most popular brands of e-cigarettes — gives smokers a variety of flavors such as cherry, vanilla and pina colada, amongst others. Also, people have the option of buying disposables — which can last about as long as a pack of cigarettes — or rechargeable e-cigarettes which can last for months.

When inhaled, a light comes on and the nicotine is released. When the light fades away or won’t come on, the e-cigarette needs to be recharged or discarded.

Like patches or gum, nicotine is entered into the bloodstream, but in an article in The Huffington Post on Monday, Dr. Lynn Kozlowski said e-cigarettes are more likely to get a smoker to quit altogether.

“An ineffective cigarette substitute could fool an addicted smoker for a few hours or a few days, but not for weeks or a few months,” Kozlowski said. “After many months, it will be rare to see a placebo effect satisfying an addicted smoker. Will they work for every smoker? Probably not. Can they work for many smokers? Probably.”

Linda Walston — store manager of Tobacco Road Outlet on Herritage Street — has sold quite a few e-cigarettes in her establishment and has utilized it herself with positive reviews.

“If you’re trying to quit or just looking for something to use when you don’t have a cigarette at the time, it works,” Walston said. “When I’m with my grandbabies, I don’t smoke around them so the e-cigarette is a good substitute.”

With the increase in health, additional places to smoke and the flavors provided, Walston had a prediction about the future of e-cigarettes.